1161 Australia pulls out, 'job well done - we're off!'
austra L asia 1161

Australia pulls out, 'job well done - we're off!'

CANBERRA: 11th June 2005 -- The first part of the headline is fact, the second half an interpretation of the words of Lieutenant Colonel Brian Cox who, on Monday, oversees the Dili ceremony which completes an Australian troop operation that began on September 20th 1999.  What he has actually said, days before, is "This symbolises the end of the peacekeeping mission here. We have come a long way".
    Readers may ask why austraLasia would bother selecting this particular item, even two days before it happens.  To begin with, it may not receive wide coverage.  New Zealand troops pulled out recently with barely a global whisper.  'New who?' some would have asked.
    But this correspondent well remembers the 20th September 1999, and many confreres in a now stable and hopeful East Timor will well remember it too.  One reality of that particular 'hour' was that because austraLasia was in frequent prior contact with confreres on the ground there, it had good contacts still, immediately after 20th September, and when land lines were not functioning, there were other methods for getting the news out.  The story can possibly only be told now when some of the rawness of that time has begun to heal.
    Your correspondent was in Samoa for a meeting, an island which, at that time, was not well-connected in internet terms.  It was the devil's own job to keep up the contacts and the news which were coming in almost hourly. To be honest, it was not so much about news.  It was about people.  Some people were looking for other people.  Families had brothers and relatives and were understandably anxious.  And in all the turmoil, there were 'little people', unnamed people on the scene who had some of those answers and were able to provide them, bringing mostly solace to the enquirers.  There were many hundreds crowded in the Bishop's residence and grounds - and some of them were able to get messages out, usually well-informed messages.
    They were just the heady days, the difficult days.  After that there was the task of keeping the news up, trying to ensure that it was, indeed, well-informed.  And possibly it was, since word got around and even the Jakarta Post was seeking clarification on different events, in the interests of balance.
    So, it is not jingoism alone that prompts this item, but a genuine pride that the not always pure motives of East Timor's largest (geographically speaking) neighbour have been pretty good this time around.  Australia saw that it had a job to do and that it could do it.  At one stage it had around 5,000 troops there.  Two men died from that entire cohort - none of them from hostile fire, not even 'friendly' fire.  One died of respiratory infection, the other accidentally discharged his rifle on himself during a rough mountain ride.
    And then there's the Salesian contribution - the Australian Province has had the opportunity, thanks to many generous souls, to offer practical support, ship tonnes of needed goods, provide educational opportunities...the list goes on.
    The troops will be gone, and in a world where foreign troops often have a habit of outstaying their welcome, that's good news. They're off!  Salesian brotherly concern and support?  That, too will deserve a 'well done', but will never countenance a 'we're off'.
VOCABULARY
prior:  previous (nothing to do with monks!)
devil's own job: difficult  
solace: comfort
jingoism: being excessively patriotic
countenance: permit
________________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific.  It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome.  For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml.  If you subscribe, email this information and your name will come off the regular email list.  RSS eliminates problems such as multiple mailings, viruses, email bloat.  Think about it!